Sunday, January 28, 2007

Why train outdoors?

i have to admit its been a pretty mild summer in brissie.
mostly tops in the high 20s with low humidity.
this week however had been mostly low 30s with high (60%+) humidity.
there certainly seems to be a critical level at which i struggle and this is indeed it.
my thursday run was in 31 degree heat and 60% humidity.
weatherzone works this out to be an apparent/'feels like' temp of 36.
the tuesday bush run wasnt quite as humid but was certainly more a walk-run than a run-walk.
where i would usually run i was walking.
where i would usually walk ('kokoda hill') i would stop!
did a few double sessions this week which will really help with the fitness.
a storm on thursday arvo kept me indoors on the treadmill - not a bad option this week.
am glad cradle is this week - i think i'll take a few weeks off when its over and wait for the hot weather to pass!

monday: massage, 1hr stat bike and 14km flat run (69.00)
tuesday: 2hr40 bush run
wednesday: 1hr stat bike
thursday: 1hr stat bike and 1hr treadmill (walk/run uphill)
friday: nothing
saturday: 14km flat (71.20)
sunday: nothing

cradle next weekend.

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Bushfires and Ultrarunning dont mix

after bogong-hotham got cancelled because of bushfires i figured i wasnt anywhere near as bad off than the poor buggers that lost their houses; or the burnt wildlife for that matter.
but then the australian alpine 100 miler got cancelled and i started to be a little more self-centred.
when i heard that there were fires at cradle this week i have to admit i thought of chucking it in all together and putting my feet up for the summer.
have heard today that the overland track (cradle) is open again, and i have thought about spending my planned time off at the end of march (for AAUM100) to do a great north walk (GNW) fastpacking thingy so me and running are friends again :)

was a bit angry yesterday so decided to crank out a quick 13.8km on my usual kangaroo point to regatta route.
thought i would use my temper to go sub65 which i hadnt for several months.
first split was on pb at 15.20 (61.20 pace) but with the weather still about
27 degrees at the start i didnt think i could hold that.
went 16.00, 16.10 and 16.00 to cruise in in 63.30.
hardly broke a sweat ;)
think i need to do that every few months just to reassure myself i can run 4.30ish minute kms when i want to.

longish bush run tomorrow

monday - massage
tuesday - 30min stat bike (easy)
wednesday - 6-7km paddle, 10km hilly
thursday - nothing
friday - nothing
saturday - 14km flat 63.30
sunday - 30min stat bike (medium)

cradle in 2 weeks.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Mellum v Mellum

Hares v Hounds. Glasshouse Mountains 14th jan. 55.3km in 6.03

a bit of friendly banter is always good.
so long as i win of course.
a somewhat unusual concept for a race with the 'hares' (those doing the entire race solo) starting before the 'hounds' (relay runners).
when all the hounds catch a hare their race is over!
was pleased during the week to hear that there was an all girls team of tanky, karen, hannah and vegie running which meant at least i wouldnt get dragged of the course after 30km or so.
but what if they beat me??? OMG!! i would hear about it forever!
as a hare i had 60mins start over the girls.

did the 1st half (28.5km) in 3.10 with most of the relay teams passing me along the way and me being the last hare.
apparently the girls gained 27 mins in the 1st half (with another 33mins to gain) but not knowing who was doing what leg i figured i better speed up a bit!
the climb up hennesys hill wasnt pleasant but once i got to cp6 (42km) i figured i had enough of a break if i kept running and in the end the girls finished half an hour or so behind.
i finished last of the hares with suzannah beating me home by a minute or so and (new training buddy) tamsin strolling in 5mins or so ahead of her.
fiddling with the numbers i did the second half 6mins quicker and this included the only real hill on the course (hennesys) in the second half.
did the last 13.3km 10mins quicker than on the way out - must have been the coke.

shoudlve stopped for chafe-relief at cp6 but didnt want the girls to catch me so at least they can be reassured by the fact that although they didnt get me dragged of the course i will be sitting very uncomfortably for a few days!

monday - nothing
tuesday - physio/needles and 30min stat bike
wednesday - 60mins stat bike (easy)
thursday - 14km flat (68.40)
friday - nothing
saturday - nothing
sunday - H&H 55km

cradle in 3 weeks!

Monday, January 08, 2007

Hardrock here I come

...well maybe a little premature ;)
The hardrock 100 miler (colorado) is probably the 2nd toughest of the US 100 milers with 10,000 metres of up/down and much of the course over 3000m - ie you need to acclimitize!
it is seriously fcking hilly!!
it just so happens there is a work conference (on wilderness medicine) the week after the event only a few hundred kms away.
so i thought it mustve been a sign!
will arrive early, spend a month in colorado all up and make a real holiday of it.
will enter this week but even if my 'credentials' are accepted i only have a 20% chance of getting in on the ballot.
and to be honest i hope i dont get in :)
regardless it sounds like a great place to visit and i can learn a lot for a full frontal attempt in years to come...
quite exciting ringing the hotel in silverton (start/finish) to book and finding out the manager is a 2-time finisher!
cant wait for the next phone bill.

did 3 medium-longish runs in the bush this week.
it was my birthday week.
it felt appopriate.
sunday was a 33km 1500m ascent/descent in brisbane forest park with tanky, tamsin and AB.
it is seriously hilly in that place.
but not hardrock hilly.
each of us carried about 4 litres of water for the 6 hour run.
my only navigational advice led to a 20min wrong turn!
considering it was on the same day as bogong-hotham and it was almost exactly half the distance and the same hilliness we decided to call this the poormans half bogong (or poor mans half gobong as i called it when i had become a little dehydrated!).

will have a light week in preparation for hares and hounds 60km next sunday.

monday - nothing
tuesday (birthday!) - 1.40hr hilly/bush run mt coot-tha
wednesday - nothing
thursday - 1hr easy bike
friday - massage and 2.45hr hilly/bush run mt coot-tha
saturday - nothing
sunday - 6hr hilly/bush run BFP

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Fat blokes Festive Fatass

brisbane forest park 48km - 6.22
the gap to mt nebo and return.

map here: (except there is no loop at the top just and outNback) http://www.coolrunning.com.au/gallery/Maps-and-Cross-Sections/map3

my 6th and last ultra for the year.
have been injured the 1st 2 years for this so keen to run this year.
did do some of it on the mtb 2 years ago so was surprised how much easier the hills were by foot!

of course the dogs chose that particular night to create a ruckus by chasing possums so they got promptly tied up!
woke at 4am and when i looked at the radar decided to do a complete repack (and inculde the now infamously stylish poncho) and take the bigger camelbak.
glad i did as it was the coldest day in brisbane in 100+ years.
19 maximum with light drizzle all day - quite a nice day running assuming u dont get cold and wet.
as per usual started off slowly - especially when i arrived right on 5am and everyone else was trotting off down the road!
took some time stretching/warming up and just let everyone go.
had fun checking the map and practicing some basic nav even tho i probably didnt need to.
arrived at the 'rain guage' turn in just under 2hrs and figured it would take another 1.30 to get to tunraround.
ran into kato just after this (i hadnt seen anyone for 2.5hrs) who was struggling with a calf injury and walked with him for a while.
ran into darren byers on his way back down and then greg waite who was heading back to find kato and run to jollys lookout with him.
he told me not to miss the left turn 100m ahead which was good because i had actually made better progress than planned and didnt realise i was almost at mt nebo road.
saw parso heading back down on the walking trail to mt nebo village.

arrived at the turnaround in 3.10ish and when my request for toasted sandwiches at the shop was rebutted grabbed a coke and pine-lime splice and headed back with kelvin and hermie.
no-one else was doing the whole thing most getting lifts from the top or running to jollys lookout (4km away) where they parked their cars.
made good time on the way down and cruised it in with hermie and kel in about 6.22
only darren, parso, kelvin, hermie and me did the whole thing.
davo had waited maybe 2 hours in the drizzle after parso had come thru to give us some drinks.
very pleased to have got thru this well.
a nice day just trotting in the forest.
no-one seemed to know who was running what, who was coming first, who was picking up who and if anyone was still out there!
gotta luv fatass :)

did nothing else all week except eat and a 14km flat on sunday (69.40)

should do a yearly summary at some stage this week.